Mail-box.



- To ctll whom it'may concern:

a citizen of the Louisville, Kentucky,

oFFIoE. a T

LEVERETT W. HOMIRE. OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY, ASSIGNOR TO HENRY TERSTEGGE, OF 7 No. 833,879. v

, Be it known that I, LEVERETT W. HoMrRE, United States, residing at have invented a cer-. tain new and useful Improvement in Mail- Boxes, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is an end view of a mail-box em bodying the features of my invention, and Fig. 2is a longitudinal sectional view of the box shown in Fig. 1.

This invention relates to mailboxes, and particularly to maihboxes used for the rural eedelivery.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide a mail-box of simple construction which is provided with a signal that is moved automatically into and out of operative position in anovel manner. I

Other desirable features of my invention will be hereinafter pointed out. j V

Referring to the drawings, which represent the preferred form ofmy invention, 1 designates a plate that comprises the side .walls and the top of the box, and 2 designates the bottom of the box. One end wall of the box is formed by the plate 3, and the other end wall of the box is formed by the door 4, which is oscillatingly mounted on a rod 5, journaled in the side wallsofthe box.

' The plates from which the box is formed preferably consist of sheet metal and are joined together in a suitable manner to make the box water-tight. A mail opening 6 is formed in the door 4 and is partially surrounded by a hood 7, that is connected to the door, the side flanges 7 a of said hood being provided with openingsto receive the rod 5, and thereby act as the means for connecting the door to the said rod. The door is provided at the'lower edge of the mail-opening with an inwardly and upwardly projecting plate 8, Y

which cooperates with the closure-plate 9 to prevent rain or snow from leakin through the mail-opening. The closureate 9 is rigidly connected to the rock-shaft 5, and one end of said shaft has an arm 10, which carries a signal 11. When the closure-plate. is down, as shown in full lines in Figs. 1 and 2, the signal will occupyitsinoperative posi- Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed December 29, 1905. Serial Nov293.790

NEW ALBANY, INDIANA.

MAIL-BOX- Patented Oct. 23, 19 06.

1' tion, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2; but

,1 when the closure-plate is raised, as shown in dot-and-dash lines in Fig. 2, to insert a piece of mail in the mail-opening the signal will be sition. Shown in dot-and-d-ash lines in Fig. 2.. The weight, of the signal will cause it to re- ,mainin this position, andthus either notify the owner of the box thatthe box contains some mail for that thereis some mail in the box to be collected j r r i' As shown in dot-and-dash lines in'Fig. 2, when the signal is in its operative position the closure-plate will contact with the inner face of the u per portion of the door 4, so that as the lhwer portion of said door is swung outwardly in the direction of the arrow in Fig-2 to remove the mail from the box the upper portion of the door will be moved inwardly and accordingly will enga e the closure-plate and swing 1t downwardly to normal position, thereby automatically returning the signal to inoperative position.-

From theforegoing description it will be seen that I havedevisedv a mail-box having a signal which isoperated in a'simple manner, so that the box can be manufactured at a small cost. Preferably the door is inclined relatively to its u per end is located some distance inward y from the edge :of the the side walls and the top. 0 the box. The bottom of the box-is rovided with an eye 12, that projects throug an opening in the door 4 to enable said door to be locked by a padlock or other suitable device. (Not shown.)

I claim as new, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is

, 1.'A mail-box provided with a closureplate for a mail-receiving opening, and a signal rigidly connected to said closure-plate and adapted to move therewith; substan{ tially as described. v

2. A mail-box provided with a closureplatefor amail-receivin o ening, a signal rigidly connected to 'sai c osure-plate and adapted to move therewith, and a door which upon being moved-outwardly engages the closure-plate, and movesit into its closed position; substantially as described.

3. A mail-box provided with a closureplate for a mail-receiving opening, and a sigm'oved" automatically into its operativ .po

him or notify the-mail-carrier the bottom of the box so that plate that forms nal rigidly connected to said closure-plate l 6. A lnaiLbox provided with a door having and adapted to move therewith, the weight l l a mail-receiving opening, a hood partially surrounding said opening, a rock-shaft journaled in said hood, a closure-plate rigidly connected to said rock-shaft and cooperating with an inwardly-projecting plate at the lower edge of the mail-opening, anda signal connected to said rock-shaft; substantially as described 7. A mail-box, comprising a bottom, a single plate forming the side walls and the top of the boX, an end wall, a door forming the other end wall of the box and inclined inwardly, a rock-shaft mounted in the side walls 01 the box and having a closure-plate rigidly connected thereto which closes a mail-opening formed in the door, means for pivotally connecting the door to said rock-shaft, and a signal connected to said rock-shaft and adapted of said signal retaining the closure-plate in its open or closed position; substantially as described.

4. A mail-box provided with a door having a mail-receiving opening therein, a rockshaft on which said door is mounted, a closureplate rigidly connected to said shaft for clos ing said opening, and a signal connected to l said rock-shaft and adapted to move into one position as said closure-plate is opened, said plate being engaged by the door when it is swung outwardly whereby said plate is closed and the signal moved into a different position; substantially as described.

5. A mail-box having a door located in one end thereof, said door being provided with a mail-receiving opening, a rock-shaft, means on said door for pivotally connecting it to the to be moved into one position as the closurerock-shait, a closure-plate rigidly connected plate is opened and. into a diii'erent position to said rock-shaft for closing said opening, as the door is opened; substantially as doand a signal connected to said rock-shaft scribed. which moves into one position as said closure- In testimony whereof I hereunto a'llix my plate is opened, said plate when opened ensignature, in the presence of two witnesses, gagilrlig 1the upper portifon of ghe'door so that this 23d day of December, 1905. as t e ower ortion 0 said oor swin s outr n wardly the uiiper portion thereof will engage LEVERE [T HOMIRE' the closurelate and move it into its closed- Witnesses: position, thereby moving the signal into a J. N. CLEMENS, Jr., different position; substantially as described. l F. M.. STEEL. 

